NDALNeural Development and Anomaly Lab

Neural Development and Anatomy Lab Understanding of the normal developmental process is a fundamental step in elucidating the basics of human congenital malformation. As a trained pediatric neurosurgeon, Pf Lee focuses her research on secondary neurulation and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics, two of the most important developmental processes with related congenital disorders. The laboratory also seeks to link neural development and neuro-oncology, as ‘aberrant’ developmental processes promote tumorigenesis. Spinal dysraphism is one of the most common congenital anomaly of central nervous system and is known to occur due to errors during primary or secondary neurulation.

Using chick embryos, research to reveal the unknown aspects of normal secondary neurulation is performed, under the goal of clarifying the pathoembryogenesis of related entities such as lumbosarcral lipoma, limited dorsal myeloschisis, and terminal myelocystocele. Normal CSF dynamics in the spinal cord is evaluated using various in vivo experiments and imaging techniques, by collaboration with the research team in Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital. Clinical implication of the topic is its relation to the pathophysiology of various CSF-related diseases such as syringomyelia.